Loading and hauling machine



7 y 8, 1957 v. PERINI LOADING AND HAULING MACHINE 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Nov. 16, 1953 Vicfor Peri/Ii I INVENTOR.

May 28, 1957 v. PERINI LOADING AND HAULING MACHINE 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Nov. 16, 1953 Victor Per/n1 INVENTOR.

MIME/1% United States PatentO LOADING AND HAULING MACHINE Victor Perini, Carlsbad, N. Mex.

Application November 16, 1953, Serial No. 392,336

3 Claims. (Cl. 214-522) This invention relates to a loading and hauling machine and more specifically provides a machine for use in conjunction with continuous mining machines wherein the loosened ore being mined can be efliciently picked up by the machine and transported to a designated place and discharge the ore in an efficient operation wherein the continuous mining machine may have substantially a continuity of operation.

An object of this invention is to provide a loading and hauling machine wherein a continuous mining machine may discharge the loosened material on the mine floor and the machine of this invention will easily and quickly pick up the loosened material thereby avoiding the necessary shut down of a mining machine as the usual shuttle cars are loaded.

A further object of this invention is to provide a loading and hauling machine primarily for use in mines wherein the loosened ore will be picked up directly from the mining floor thereby providing a clean and eflicient loading operation without the necessity of intermittently shutting down the mining machine for moving the shuttle cars.

Yet another object of this invention is to provide a loading and hauling machine which will efficiently clean the mine floor of all loose ore.

A still further object of this invention is to provide a machine which is relatively simple in construction, efficient in operation, well adapted for his purposes and relatively inexpensive to manufacture.

These together with other objects and advantages which will become subsequently apparent reside in the details of construction and operation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof, wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout and in which:

Figure l is a side elevational view of the loading and hauling machine of this invention with a portion thereof broken away;

Figure 2 is a longitudinal, top plan section taken substantially along section line 2-2 of Figure 1 showing the details of construction of one of the endless chain conveyors positioned on the loading ramp;

Figure 3 is a detailed section taken substantially along section line 33 of Figure 4 showing details of the endless chain conveyor drive means;

Figure 4 is a top plan view of the machine of this invention;

Figure 5 is a transverse, vertical section taken substantially along section line 5-5 of Figure 1 showing the details of construction of the loading ramp and endless chain conveyors; and

Figure 6 is a detailed top plan section with portions broken away and showing the bottom conveyor of the shuttle car.

Referring now specifically to the drawings, it will be seen that the numeral 10 generally indicates the loading and hauling machine of this invention including a shuttle car 12 having ground engaging wheels 14 upstanding side secured thereto.

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walls 16 and a floor in the form of an endless conveyor 18. The conveyor 18 is journalled over transverse rollers 20 with one of the rollers 20 having a sprocket on the exterior thereof as indicated by the numeral 22. An electric motor 24 is secured to one of the upstanding side walls 16 adjacent the sprocket 22 and includes a sprocket and sprocket chain drive 26 for actuating the conveyor 18 which forms the floor of the car 12. The conveyor 18 has transverse ribs 28 on the upper surface thereof for engaging the loose material such as ore to be discharged from the car 12. Below the conveyor 18 is a floor member 30 having an extension 32 on one end thereof and it will be seen that the upstanding side walls have outwardly flared portions 34 immediately over the extending portion 32 wherein an entrance guide is formed for the body of the car 12. The projecting portion 32 of the bottom 30 has a pair of upstanding lugs 36 thereon in spaced relation to the end portion of the extension 32. The loading ramp 38 having a pair of lugs 40 extending from one surface thereof is pivotally attached to the upstanding lugs 36 by a pivot axis 42 wherein the loading ramp 38 may be adjusted in angular relation to the extension 32 and the shuttle car 12. A hydraulic piston and cylinder arrangement 44 interconnects the ramp 38 and the fioor extension 32 at a point spaced from the pivot axis 42 wherein actuation of the pivot and cylinder will pivot the ramp 38 about the pivot axis 42 and maintain the ramp in angular adjusted position in relation to the shuttle car 12. As shown the upper end of the ramp is positioned above the flared end 34 of the side member 16 of the shuttle car 12 and the lower end of the ramp is substantially positioned along the ground floor of a "mine or other surface from which material is desired to be loaded onto the shuttle car 12.

A plate member 46 is spaced vertically from the upper face of the ramp 38 by a plurality of spacers 48 which space the plate 46 from the ramp 38 in parallel relation. A curved guide 50 generally U-shaped in configuration fits between one end of the plate 46 and the upper surface of the ramp 38 and another curved guide 52 is positioned substantially at the mid-pointof the plate 46 and a pivot axle 56 having a spur gear 58 thereon is journalled between the plate 46 and the ramp 38 substantially ad jacent the apex end of the plate 46 which is generally triangular in shape with the guide 50 forming the base of the triangle and the gear 58 forming the apex thereof. An endless chain 60 is positioned around the guide 50, guide 54 and the spur gear 58 with the spur gear 58 engaging the chain for driving the chain along its path of movement. A plurality of projecting lugs 62 are secured to the outer surface of the chain 60 thereby forming an endless conveyor which operates substantially parallel to the upper face of the ramp 38 and substantially flush against the top surface thereof. As will be seen in Figure 4, a pair of endless chain conveyors generally indicated by the numeral 64 are positioned on the ramp 38 in laterally spaced relation and the lugs 62 on the chain 60 move inwardly and upwardly of the ramp 38 in parallel relation and laterally spaced relation wherein loose material may be moved up the loading path on the top surface of the ramp between the path of movement of the projecting lugs 62 on the endless chain 60. As shown in Figure 5, inwardly tapering guide baffles 66 are secured to the upper surface of each plate 46 for guiding material into the loading path as generally indicated by the numeral 68. As shown in Figure 3 the axle 56 projects above the plate 46 and has a bevel gear 70 An electric motor 72 having a drive shaft 74 and a bevel gear 76 thereon in meshing engagement with the bevel gear 70 is used for driving the endless chain conveyor 64 in order to load the shuttle car 12 from material disposed on a ground surface or the like.

From the foregoing construction the operation and advantages of the device will be readily understood. The shuttle car 12 may be individually self-propelled or "the type depending on some other source of power such as cables or pulleys and a tow car moving a plurality of the shuttle cars. The ramp 38 is lowered by actuation of the hydraulic cylinder and piston arrangement 44 until the lower end of the ramp 38 is substantially flush with the ground level wherein loose material stored upon the ground may be easily picked up and moved upwardly of the ramp 38 by the endless chain 60 and the projecting lugs 62 thereon. As material fills up the body substantially level with the'upper edges of the sides '16, the bottom conveyor 18 may be actuated by manipulating a suitable switch on the motor 24 thereby moving the loaded portion forwardly and repeating the operation until the entire shuttle car 12 is fully loaded. It will be understood that the ramp 3? has a lower end which will efiiciently and effectively pick up the loose material about the ground floor of a mine wherein an efficient loading and hauling operation is carried out without the necessity of intermittently stopping a continuous mining machine.

From the foregoing, the construction and operation of the device will be readily understood and further explanation is believed to be unnecessary. However, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction shown and described, and accordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalents may be restored to, falling within the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed as new is as follows:

1. A shuttle car comprising a mobile body for containing a load and having ground engaging wheels, an endless belt conveyor forming the bottom of said body, means for selectively operating said conveyor, a down- '4 wardly inclined ramp pivotally mounted on one end of said body and projecting longitudinally therefrom, means adjusting the angular position of said ramp, a pair of endless chain conveyor means mounted on said ramp and extending substantially the full length thereof for transporting material upwardly along the upper surface of said ramp into said body and onto the belt conveyor, and means for driving said endless chain conveyor means, each of said endless chain conveyor means operating in a plane parallel to the ramp and in independent relation to each other and having spaced and parallel facing flights wherein material is transported along the center of the ramp between the facing flights, said chain conveyor means forming the sole means for transporting material along the ramp and into the body.

2. The structure as defined in claim 1 wherein each of said endless conveyor chain means encircle vertically disposed guide members and a sprocket drive gear rotating on an inclined axis in driving engagement with said chain conveyor means, and power means for driving said sprocket gear.

3. The structure as defined in claim 1 wherein said body has upstanding side walls and said ramp is piv otally mounted in spaced relation to the rear end thereof whereby the rear end of the ramp and chain conveyor means is elevated to a position above the side walls for discharging the load into the body for completely filling the same.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNlTED STATES PATENTS 2,024,458 Kraft Dec. 17, 1935 2,069,091 Housman Jan. 26, 1937 2,143,092 Sloane Jan. 10, 1939 2,282,704 Butters May 12, 1942 2,298,448 Arentzen Oct. 13, 1942 2,609,910 Lee Sept. 9, 1952 2,724,517 Lewis Nov. 22, 1955 

